President Joe Biden‘s administration is not permitted to contact with or communicate with social media businesses to control their content, according to a US federal judge.
The injunction was issued in response to a complaint filed by the Republican attorneys general of Louisiana and Missouri, who claimed that US government authorities had gone too far in pressuring social media companies to respond to posts on vaccines and elections.
Interacting on social media
As a result of the ruling, federal agencies like the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services are prohibited from communicating with social media companies “to urge, encourage, pressurize, or induce in any way the removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction of protected free speech” as a condition of the First Amendment.
Also cited in the order were Jen Easterly, the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of homeland security.
- US judge bans Biden administration from controlling social media content.
- Order cites Cybersecurity Agency director Easterly and Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas.
- Republicans win injunction against Biden administration, accusing stifling opposing viewpoints.
Judge Terry Doughty granted limited exceptions for correspondence between government representatives and businesses, including warnings about threats to public safety and criminal behavior.
The injunction is a victory for Republicans who had sued the Biden administration, alleging that it was attempting to stifle opposing viewpoints by leveraging the health crisis caused by the coronavirus and the fear of false information.
Officials from the US have stated that their goal is to reduce false information regarding COVID vaccines to reduce avoidable deaths.
